


The Shift of Time

by KibaSin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Mystery, Paradox, Paranoia, Psychological Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-07
Updated: 2012-11-07
Packaged: 2017-11-18 04:43:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/557024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KibaSin/pseuds/KibaSin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a new Slytherin student suddenly shows up out of nowhere, Hermione is bewildered. But, as she tries to solve the mystery, she finds that slowly reality is changing and nothing seems real anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Occurrence

**Disclaimer:**  I do not own the Inuyasha or Harry Potter series. They belong to Takahashi Rumiko-sama and J. K. Rowling. I respect that and gain nothing from this piece of work except self-accomplishment.

 **Genre:**  General/Drama/Somewhat Mystery

 **Rating:**  T

* * *

_This chapter has been betaed by Violetcarson._

* * *

 

 **Note:**  This story will only be a few chapters long, because it's something that just popped into my head and won't leave me alone. I was listening to the song "What Kind of Name is Hermione?" by "The Parselmouths" which would probably explain the reason it's Harry Potter based.

But, anyway, don't ask me about the pairing. This story is  _only_  a few chapters long, so I won't get into it very much. But, I'd say that if it went into the future wise, it would probably end up being Draco x Kagome, 'cause I like that pairing. However, I'm not taking it that far and there won't really be that much romance.

* * *

" _There is an ancient and powerful ability locked deep inside your soul, and it causes others to instinctively fear you. They cannot look beyond it, despite your kind and generous heart, and because of that, I place you into the hands of_ Slytherin _._ "

* * *

_**Chapter One:** _ _The First Occurrence_

It was another wonderful year at Hogwarts. Hermione could not ask for anything more—well, except that Ron might show a bit more concern with what was happening around him. She had great friends, she was in the best Hogwarts House, and her marks were already top of the class.

Yes, fifth year was definitely looking up.

Of course, there was the trouble of Voldemort's return, and the occasional rise in Death Eater activity, but none of that could make it into Hogwarts walls. The magical school was protected in more ways than one, and Hermione knew from her reading that these wards and barriers would keep them at bay. There was not a thing in the world that she could think of that could get inside its walls if the school was designed to keep them out.

That was probably the reason Hermione's day spiraled downhill.

She had gone to all her classes for the last week with no strange occurrences. Everything had gone as she thought it would. Go to class, get an assignment, listen to Ron complain about it, do the work, secretively put the assignment where Ron could find it to copy, and once in a while watch as Harry got into a spat with Draco Malfoy. That was the way it had been every year, with the exception of their adventures, and she fully expected fifth year to be the same.

Yet, something about that day made Hermione pause while she was tugging her shirt over her head. It was a bad time for such a thing to happen, since the other girls had giggled about it until she slipped her prefect badge to her robes. Apparently having to stare at her bra and skin for about fifty-five seconds was the most amusing thing they had seen all week, but the strange feeling that had caused it struck her more than their amusement.

She had gone to class, striding through the material with ease and waiting for the few classes she would have with Ron and Harry. She was already on her way to preparing for her O.W.L.s, though she was still rather angry with Dolores Umbridge's teaching and detention methods, and she believed she deserved a little time listening to Ron and Harry. Possibly listening to them either making fun of something so ridiculous it was only funny to them or complain about the work assigned to them.

Throughout the day though, that single moment in the morning made her think. It was not often she got a sudden chill, but when she did, she knew that something was not right. And by the time Care of Magical Creatures rolled around, she was definitely beginning to think that. Especially when she paused before reaching Hagrid's hut, but she chalked that up as annoyance toward the Slytherin horde standing to one side, impatient and waiting for a chance to make fun of the half-giant.

They were like a pack of vultures, waiting to consume whatever was placed in front of them. Hermione knew that there had to be at least one bright light in the group, but her view on Slytherin had been tainted since the first day at Hogwarts. She could not understand how someone could be so cruel, or grow up to become so evil, and she shuddered just thinking about it. And she hoped more than anything that she was never placed into a position that made her even  _think_  of being like them.

Glancing to see that, yes, Draco Malfoy was the head of the group; Hermione shook her head and headed to find Harry and Ron. She found them talking with Hagrid behind his hut, and greeted them cheerfully. The Slytherin House might tarnish the class, but nothing could keep her from getting happy when seeing her friends.

"'Ermione, good to see ya," Hagrid smiled.

"It's good to see you, too, Hagrid," Hermione smiled back.

Harry glanced up, saying, "We were wondering where you were."

"I had to give detention to a Ravenclaw student," Hermione explained. "The students do not seem to realize that they are  _not_  allowed to use Fred and George's supplies to get out of class, and when I saw her perfectly well outside of class, I simply had to write her up."

Ron rolled his eyes. The job of prefect was really starting to get to Hermione's head, but he was glad that he did not have to do too much.

Unfortunately, Hermione saw the look, and snapped, "Don't give me that look, Ronald Weasley! They might be your family, but I am  _not_  going to let them get away with every little thing. And this year they will learn that certain things are banned."

Ron leaned into Harry, asking what he had done, but only received a shrug of the shoulder.

Huffing, Hermione turned her attention back to the half-giant. Smiling once more, she asked, "So, Hagrid, what are we doing today?"

"Today, we're going to be studyin' unicorns," Hagrid replied with a proud note in his tone. "Me and Fang managed to wrangle 'er up this morning!"

"Oh!" Hermione beamed. It sounded like a wonderful subject, especially since she had taken an interest in most magical creatures and read up on them whenever she had time. She was sure that today she would learn even more, but she wanted to show Hagrid just how much she had learned on her own.

Class began without a hitch, though Hermione could hear the slight snickers and whispered voices of the Slytherins. Her attention was more focused on the subject at hand than Malfoy's constant need to narrate everything Hagrid said. In the back of her mind, she realized that it was  _not_  Draco doing the narrating today, but did not think much on it.

Hagrid began by bringing the shy creature out into the open, allowing them to see the soft glow that the white unicorn gave off. The horse-like creature pawed at the ground, eyeing them warily, before calming after a few moments. It bent to gnaw at the grass when Hagrid asked his first question, and Hermione instantly allowed her hand to shoot into the air. However, she was surprised when Hagrid spoke.

"Ah, Miss 'Igurashi," Hagrid called.

A voice called from the back of the class, giving the answer in a soft, kind tone. The answer was complete and to the point, and Hermione turned her head swiftly as her hand fell from the air. No one ever answered the question before her, though a bunch of the jealous Slytherin girls tried time and again. So, Hermione was surprised to see a Slytherin, seated next to Malfoy, speaking.

That might probably would not have caused Hermione was much confusion as what she thought of next, though. As she looked at the obviously fifth year Slytherin, she wondered where she had come from. She had never heard the name Higurashi, and she certainly had never seen the short Asian girl with stunning blue eyes within any of her classes. It was possible that she had overlooked her, but if she was a fifth year—as her being in the class indicated—then Hermione would have seen her  _at least_  at the Sorting Hat ceremony in their first year.

After Hagrid congratulated her on getting the answer correct, he continued on with the lesson. Hermione steeled herself, determined to beat the black haired Asian that she had never seen before, but when the next question came, the girl raised her hand before her once more. When she answered the question correctly, Hagrid rewarded her, allowing her to come to the front of the class and approach the skittish creature.

Hermione's mind swirled as the girl walked by her, allowing herself a moment to look over the short stature, beautiful black hair, and shining blue eyes. With the second inspection, Hermione was positive that she had never seen that girl before.  _Never_. Not in the five long years she had been at Hogwarts, and not for the last week and a half of school.

"Now, you've got to move very slowly," Hagrid explained, "or she's going to bolt."

The Slytherin stepped forward calmly, slowly as Hagrid had instructed, and held out the palm of her hand. The unicorn reared its head up from eating, and eyed the girl cautiously. Hermione, in a small fit of jealousy, almost wished the unicorn  _would_  bolt, but she was surprised when the majestic creature flared its nostrils and leaned forward to sniff the girl's hand. The horn came inches from striking her, while it did so, before the Slytherin slowly rotated her hand and placed it upon the unicorn's snout.

Hagrid was beaming, allowing his grip on the rope in his hand to slacken. Hermione could tell that he was very proud of the Slytherin girl, but Hermione wanted to hiss. First, she had no idea who this Slytherin was, and second, she had expected the unicorn to take offence to her.

Another question rattled its way into Hermione's mind as she watched the girl stroke the unicorn. Hagrid was still giving her instructions, telling her how to move in order to make the unicorn trust her and how to make it move closer to her. But, as Hermione bit her lip, she wondered if Dumbledore knew the girl was in the school. He had not introduced her at the beginning of the year, and she certainly never put the Sorting Hat upon her head, for Hermione would have remembered. So, Hermione had to wonder if Dumbledore even knew she was there.

"Hey, Hermione," Ron whispered from her right. "Are you feelin' alright?"

Nodding her head, Hermione turned to him. "Yes," she replied. "But that girl there—"

Ron looked up in confusion, grinning a little. He did not let Hermione finish, as he said, "Blimey, what's gotten into you? That's Higurashi Kagome. You know, the same Higurashi Kagome that transferred here from the Academy in Japan halfway through our first year. Don't tell me you've forgotten?"

"Forgotten?" Hermione narrowed her eyes. "I have forgotten, Ron, because she was  _never_  there."

"Of course she was," Ron laughed quietly. Then, nudging Harry's arm, he said, "Hey, Harry. Can you believe this? Hermione says she never seen Kagome before."

Harry gave her the same confusing look, saying, "What? Hermione, she came to Hogwarts halfway through our first year. She was in our Transfiguration class, remember? Professor McGonagall said she had great talent in the area and that she could probably find a career in it."

"Yeah," Ron nodded his head in agreement. "She was in our Potions class, too. And Malfoy was quick to snatch up her friendship."

"They're basically inseparable," Harry continued. "You've got to remember that. She's stopped him from trying to fight with us a few times, and she seems like an ok person."

"No one that came out of Slytherin was ok," Ron muttered. "Give her a few more years, she'll be as nasty as the rest of 'em."

Hermione listened to what they said, but she was solid in what she believed. She had  _never_  seen that girl before, no matter what they said. She had  _never_  heard her name, and she certainly did not remember her appearing halfway through their first year. There was no way she could have missed something like that, since Dumbledore would have probably had some sort of ceremony for the transfer and made her Sorting public to the rest of the school.

So, she huffed and turned her attention back to the Asian girl. There was no changing Ron and Harry's minds, though she wondered how they could believe such things. They had not happened! So, they should not remember them and they  _should_  be questioning the girl's appearance as much as she was.

Ron turned to Harry, shrugging, "Wonder what's gotten into her?"

"Donno," Harry frowned. He pushed up his glasses as they sank a little lower on his face, before turning back to listen as Kagome answered another one of Hagrid's questions.

Hermione wanted to curse, while she watched the Slytherin girl pet the unicorn. She would not be able to ride it, since the creature's nature would not allow anyone to try and tame it in such a way. However, she was surprised with how quickly the unicorn had calmed while around the girl, allowing her the liberty of touching as much fur as she could reach. And it only strengthened her view of her, because there was honestly no way she could forget such a momentous event.

Hogwarts had not received a transfer in eighty years. She  _would_  have remembered when they did, since she remembered everything that had happened to them. All of those events were one of a kind for Hogwarts, and she had never forgotten a single one of them, so there was  _simply_  no possible way she would forget something like that.

The class ended fairly quickly, despite Hermione's annoyance with the way the Slytherin hogged all the time in Care of Magical Creatures. Though, she supposed that was typical of one. And it was probably even more typical of one that showed up out of nowhere, yet only she seemed to realize it.

Heck, even as they were heading back to the castle, none of the Slytherins seemed to notice. She could understand that Malfoy would ignore such a thing if such a pretty girl decided to suddenly hang around him all the time, but what about Pansy or Blaise. At least Pansy should be glaring at the girl, demanding that she leave her Drakie-kins alone. Yet neither of them did anything, laughing and speaking rapidly with her, as Malfoy slipped in closer to her side and took her hand.

Hermione left Ron and Harry in the corridor, waving them off as they asked if she was really ok. Her next class was spent trying to cut her time in half, using most of it for the lesson and the other half for contemplating. Nothing could penetrate Hogwarts walls, yet that girl had. She had obviously waltzed inside and done something,  _anything_  that was causing everyone to think they knew her.

And another large question that swirled in her head was, why was she not affected? Why was she the only person, probably in the entire school, that had not been affected by whatever the girl had done? Why had that girl singled her out? Or had she? Was it something that had gone wrong when she cast her spell—no, there was no spell she could think of that could do this—or had she purposely left her out of the loop?

Was that it? Had she singled her out, knowing that she was the smartest witch of their time? Was she working for Voldemort? Was she using her strange magic to single out Harry's friends to eliminate them under Voldemort's orders? And if that was true, where in the world had Voldemort found this girl? What kind of magic did she use?

As she moved onto Potions class at the end of the day, almost dreading seeing the Slytherins again, Hermione was not sure about anything. The girl could be working for Voldemort, but why would a majestic and knowing creature like a unicorn take to her so well if she was? And it was that single incident that made Hermione rethink her possibility, since a unicorn would have known and would have tried to get away.

Of course, her day only got a little worse when she walked into Potions class. Snape, noticing her slipping through the door, instantly docked twenty points from Gryffindor. Then, he snapped at her to go to her seat, before going on with the lesson. Hermione was not really paying that much attention, but she did raise her hand the instant she recognized a question, though she knew Snape would probably ignore her.

"Miss Higurashi," Snape called.

Hermione's hand slipped from the air, noticing that the Slytherin girl was indeed in the classroom, as she had expected her to be. She answered the question with ease, even going into details that were not needed for the current lesson, which resulted in Snape giving the Slytherin House twenty points. And once again Hermione thought it was not fair, because who was this girl, and why had she suddenly popped out of nowhere just to make sure she, Hermione, never answered a question?

Was she there just to torture her? Take away everything she held dear, though she doubted Ron and Harry would go skipping over to the Slytherin if she asked them to be her friends. The girl had to know that, so what was the point in even trying to torture her? She could take away her ability to answer questions, but she would never be able to take away her friends, and that was truly what Hermione held dear.

Still, when it was time to turn in the potion that day, Hermione almost cried when she noticed that the one labeled 'Higurashi Kagome and Draco Malfoy' was a tint lighter in color than her own. Hers was the perfect color for what Snape wanted, but the text clearly stated that lighter was better.

As class ended, Ron and Harry hovering over her in concern, Hermione could not get the thought out of her head. Surely that girl was there just to torture her. Not to get at the famous Harry Potter, or because Voldemort was pulling at her strings, but just because she wanted to torture her. Why, Hermione had no idea, but she was positive that was the reason.

Because why else would the girl make it so everyone except her knew exactly who she was? Why else would she show up and take the pleasure of answering the questions asked away from her? Why else would she, Hermione, be the only person in the entire school that had never seen, heard of, or met Higurashi Kagome before?

Surely, this was something Dumbledore needed to be aware of.


	2. An Awkward Confrontation

Hermione did not care what Ron and Harry said, that girl had done something. She had somehow gotten herself into the school, and Hermione was determined to find out how. However, when she went to tell Dumbledore about her problem, she found that the Headmaster would be gone for some time and Professor McGonagall had merely told her that perhaps she should get some more sleep. The Transfiguration teacher had listened, yes, but in the end had flat out told her that such a thing was not possible and Higurashi Kagome had come to be in the school as everyone else does.

Hermione did not believe her, either.

She had never forgotten anything. She clearly remembered the time when they went into the third-floor corridor on the right hand side, even after Dumbledore warned them about a painful death, and met the three-headed dog, Fluffy. She vividly remember the ridiculous nonsense that Professor Lockhart tried to teach them in second year, and when he tried to use Ron's wand after they found the Chamber of Secrets. She had a fond memory of using the Time-Turner to save Sirius Black and Buckbeck. And, most of all, she remembered last year, when two other wizarding schools arrived at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament, she made quick friends with Victor Krum, and Cedric was killed in the return of Voldemort.

She had not forgotten a moment of it, and she never would. And that was the exact reason she knew Higurashi Kagome had somehow, someway, gotten into the school and done _something_. Hermione was not sure what, yet, but she had been reading quite a deal of books since she first saw her, and she was pretty sure she was beginning to find the answer.

Then again, she could not find anything that would allow a person to make everyone think they had been there for years while singling out a single person. It was all or nothing, and even then the magic was ancient and far too complex for a fifth year to figure out. Even she had had trouble trying to figure out a good deal of the spell, and realized that it needed the combination of a spell and a potion. One of which she was positive Higurashi Kagome not have been able to make, considering a few of the ingredients needed had been used to the point of extinction.

So, really, it put her back at square one.

Giving a sigh, Hermione returned her attention to the book in her hand. After realizing that the spell would not work, considering the circumstances, there was really no point in reading it anymore. So, she put it aside and grabbed up another one that she had thought might help her with this mystery. Stuffing her nose into it, she scanned the text quickly, searching for anything that might be useful.

"Her— _mione_ ," Ron called her name again, drawing it out.

"Yes?" Hermione asked.

"What are you doing?" Ron asked in concern. He had just seen a student throw a Fanged Frisbee, and yet Hermione had not jumped up to dish out a punishment. And that, in his book, meant something was wrong. For almost two weeks she had been throwing around her prefect badge, stating that the rules would be followed, and then she just suddenly stopped.

Harry did not think it was all that healthy, either.

"I  _told_  you, Ron," Hermione growled. Flicking a glare toward him, she returned to her reading. Higurashi Kagome would not outsmart her, and she would not get away with whatever she had done to get into the school. Hermione was determined to prove her case, and in the end it would be the Slytherin that lost.

"But—" Ron went to complain.

"Ronald Weasley," Hermione stated in her most motherly tone. "How many times must I explain it? Higurashi Kagome is not, nor has she ever been, a student here. She has clearly done something, since I seem to be the only sane person around here!"

Harry cast Ron a glance, and Ron understood it instantly. Hermione, really, was the one that did not sound sane. How in the world could someone suddenly pop out of nowhere, especially when the entire school remembered them? So, it was starting to concern them both, since there was a good chance that someone underneath the Dark Lord had gotten underneath Hermione's skin. They would not know, since they had not seen her all summer, though it was a bit odd that she suddenly noticed Kagome a week  _and_  a half after school started.

"Don't look at each other like that!" Hermione snarled. "You might think I'm the one that's got the facts wrong, but it's you! All of you! Higurashi Kagome has done something to you all, made you think all this nonsense, and I'm going to find out how! Then, I'm going to fix this and make everything like it was before!"

"Hermione," Harry said softly. He had seen Hermione explode before, but never over something so ridiculous. Usually it was about homework and grades and the fact that Ron had copied her work yet again, or once in a while it was about them risking their lives unnecessarily. All of it had a good reason for her trigger to be pulled, but this just came out of nowhere.

Snapping her eyes up, Hermione's entire body seemed to give off sparks as she glared at him. "Don't use that tone with me, Harry Potter. You name one instance,  _one_ , where Higurashi Kagome was actually in this school! Just one!"

"Bloody hell!" Ron snapped back. "We can name a bunch of them, Hermione!"

"Oh really?" Hermione drew out the words like a snake. "But, I bet you, that each one of them  _I_  don't remember, and I remember  _everything_. I haven't forgotten anything that's happened to us, to this school, or anyone that's close to us. I haven't forgotten, which means  _you_  are remembering things that you shouldn't be, Ron."

"How can we be remembering something that didn't happen?" Ron asked.

"Clearly you haven't been paying attention to anything I've said," Hermione huffed. "Otherwise you'd know that Higurashi Kagome—"

"Will you stop saying her name like that, we know who she is!" Ron cut in.

"— _That_ —that  _Slytherin_  has performed some feat of magic that is messing with your minds!" Hermione quickly finished. She did not have time for yelling at Ron, not when she was trying to juggle doing her homework  _and_  find time to research as much as she could before it was too late. After all, there was no telling what that Slytherin was up to, and she needed to be stopped as soon as possible.

"I highly doubt it," Ron replied. "I come from a wizarding family, Hermione, and I've never heard of a spell that could work on so many people at once!"

"Oh, so  _now_  you know something about highly advanced spells, do you?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked between them, knowing it was probably best to stay out of it. Their fighting was getting worse and worse, and he could only hope that it came to a halt soon. Or they admitted that they liked one another, whichever came first.

"Hermione!" Ron snapped. His concern for his friend was outweighing his need to keep his voice down. "You wanted us to name a few instances where Kagome was around us, fine! How about just last year, when you were angry because Krum asked Kagome to a single dance at the Yule Ball? Funniest thing I've ever seen, I tell ya, because that bloody Malfoy was off moping in a corner until they were done!"

"You're wrong, Ronald!" Hermione growled back. They were edging toward one another, fire being thrown between their eyes, and a lot of first years quickly left the area. "Victor never once looked at another girl when he took me to the Yule Ball, and he didn't dance with one either! He was the perfect gentleman! And, if I remember correctly, it was you that was sulking off in a corner because you were too afraid to dance with your date!"

"Something's wrong in your head, Hermione, face it!" Ron growled back. "You can ask anyone that was here last year, they'll all tell you the same thing. Higurashi Kagome was there, has been here since our first year, and she was not only Draco Malfoy's date, but she was asked by  _Victor Krum_  to a dance!"

"Blimey," another student whispered, "what's gotten into them?"

The girl sitting next to him shook her head, used to the yelling that happened just before Ron and Hermione decided to part ways for a while. Then Harry Potter would be forced to choose between them, before they decided to stop fighting.

"Ohh—" Hermione was so angry she could not speak, and finally she stomped her foot. "I will prove you wrong, Ronald Weasley! I will set everything right and then you'll be forced to apologize for  _years_!"

"Ha, I doubt it!" Ron laughed. "There's nothing to fix, Hermione. Face it!"

Hermione did not stay to fight with him anymore, though. She turned on her heel and fled the common room in a flurry of black robes. She was so angry that she did not hear Harry yelling for her to come back, nor did she acknowledge how the younger students scurried from her path as she walked. All she realized was that she was heading toward the dungeons, where she would hopefully be able to catch Higurashi Kagome before she entered, or after she left the Slytherin abode.

She raced down the stairs, through the last few halls, and finally rounded the corner to enter the dismal dungeon. At the doorway she stopped, allowing the chill from below to sink into her bones. She knew it was stupid, but she was almost afraid of stepping into the  _snake's_  den. Slytherins would do anything to achieve their ends, just as the Sorting Hat often said, and she had no doubt that walking into their domain would cause them all to turn on her. Prefect or not, they would go after her and she could only hope to walk away without at least a bruise.

It was not the best idea to waltz right into the den of any animal, especially not alone.

After standing in front of the doorway for a few minutes, Hermione was shoved out of the way when a seventh year Slytherin came running up from the dungeons. The girl did not stop to apologize, only sneering at her slightly, and Hermione had to resist the urge to begin yelling. After all, from the look she had got of her, the Slytherin was also a prefect and would have simply used the position against her case.

Another Slytherin came up not long after, glancing at the trim of her robes with disgust. The boy made a deliberate show of the green on his own by running his hand over the outside and pushing it away from his body slightly. However, she was slightly glad that the Slytherin walked around her, instead of trying to run through her.

Wondering why so many Slytherins, when a flood of them began to exit the dungeons, were coming up, Hermione almost wanted to hit herself. It was dinnertime, clearly. And no doubt they would be some of the first to be sitting and eating, stuffing their faces and trying to prove that they were better than the rest of the students. Not only that, but they were the closest to the Great Hall, and probably wanted to try and eat as much of the food before another House could get a hold of any.

Hermione moved away from the doorway, standing off to the side. She paid little attention to the flood of green that walked by her, though she stumbled a bit when Malfoy came up. The twit had shoved her on purpose, she was sure of it, and she would also make sure that someone knew he was purposely using his position as prefect to cause trouble. He, like the other Slytherin, would probably plead against her, but she was positive she could win against  _him_.

"Malfoy," Hermione scowled. She made a glance at the doorway, wondering where Higurashi was, considering Ron and Harry said they were inseparable. However, she scowled harder when she realized Malfoy had stopped and turned his ear toward her.

"Watch where you're going, mudblood," Malfoy snapped after a moment of silence. "We  _wouldn't_  want something to happen to you, after all."

Hermione wanted to growl at him, but he disappeared into the sea of green and black that continued to head toward the Great Hall. She stepped back a little further, noticing the glares and whispers that were being exchanged between the Slytherin students each time they glanced at her. It was clear that she was not wanted so close to the dungeons so late at night. And it was also clear that they would be more than willing to do something about it if she showed up again at a later time.

It did not take long for the Slytherins to dwindle, and she heard the distant clanging of silverware as the meal began. She sighed, knowing that she was not going to find the Slytherin girl now, and decided that she should go find Harry and Ron. They were probably wondering where she was, though at the moment she did not really care what Ron thought. He could stuff his face and choke himself without her help tonight, and beg for her forgiveness when she proved him wrong.

However, as she turned to head toward the Great Hall, Hermione got a distant feeling in her chest. She stopped, and turned her attention back toward the dungeons. Her chest hurt a little, and her breathing became shallow, as she felt a sharp pain in her head. She reached up to grab the spot, and it was in that moment that she heard the sound of shoes clicking on the dungeon floor.

Slowly, like magic, Higurashi Kagome exited from the dungeons. She did not glance at her, Hermione noticed in annoyance, and began to travel in the direction of the rest of the Slytherins. However, Hermione, shaking away the pain in her head, had other plans for her.

"Higurashi Kagome!" Hermione called. This was her moment. She did not like the thought of using her position as prefect to interrogate the girl, but she did not have a choice. The Slytherin would probably sneer at her and walk away otherwise, though she would probably try to anyway until she shoved the prefect badge in her face. Most Slytherins were that way, and though Ron and Harry said she was different, she highly doubted it.

A student that showed up out of nowhere, and in the Slytherin House, was nothing but evil. Not only that, but Higurashi Kagome had done something to change the memories of everyone around her. That, in every essence of the word, labeled her evil in Hermione's eyes. Evil, just like the rest of the Slytherins she decided to hang around.

The Slytherin came to a halt, turning quickly on her foot. Her black hair swung up around her shoulder, before she reached up to flip it back into place. Hermione knew the act was innocent, but everything a Slytherin did had a purpose and it usually meant harm for another person. And, unlike everyone else, she was not fooled by those big, blue eyes that stared at her with a friendly look etched deep inside them. So, she straightened herself when the Slytherin girl went to speak.

"Oh, yes?" Kagome asked. "Do you need something?"

Silly Slytherin, of course she wanted something. Hermione almost rolled her eyes, since it was a typical Slytherin response. Trying to make the person second-guess themselves before slinking away. She replied, "Yes, I have a few questions that I'd like you to answer."

Kagome's smile faded a little at her harsh tone, but otherwise she did not appear hostile. Again, Hermione could not be fooled. "I'll try to answer them the best I can then," she said.

Hermione debated for a moment what she wanted to know, before she decided to start out with a simple question. She had always been good at reading people, and she was sure she would be able to determine whether or not the girl was lying. And, by asking her a question that she already knew, Hermione could gage the way she looked when she told the truth. So, she asked, "What is your name?"

Confusion filled the Slytherin's eyes, as she asked, "You already know it, so why would you want me to—"

Jutting out the prefect badge, Hermione snapped, "Please,  _just_  answer the question."

"Alright," she nodded. Her smile returned, as she took a step toward Hermione, and the Gryffindor almost stepped back at the action. She looked like she understood what was going on, and Hermione became cautious. "My name is Higurashi Kagome. And I'd like to add that though we're not in the same house and we don't often acknowledge each other, I've always thought you had a very pretty name, Hermione."

Hermione was dumbfounded when the Slytherin stuck out her hand for her to shake. The confrontation was already taking a downward path with the simple action, because she had never expected the Slytherin to be so nice. She had expected her to demand the reason she wanted to ask such a question, perhaps spit out that she did not have time for silly games, before trying to escape. She did not expect her to go along with it, answer her question, and compliment her in the same sentence.

And, Hermione was pretty sure she was telling the truth! It was not possible for a Slytherin to give a compliment, let alone to a Gryffindor, which meant it could  _not_  happen, but it  _just_ had! So, she blinked in confusion and surprise, not quite understanding what was going on. The girl was obviously evil and up to something, so why was she so sweet and kind?

Again, Hermione had to question her theory. She had not found anything that the Slytherin could have used to not only get into the school, but also cast a memory-altering spell to such a large degree. And, she was positive that even if she had, there was the fact that the girl was only a fifth year like herself. She would have had to get someone extremely powerful to help her with such a thing, which meant she would have probably been working under Voldemort, but Hermione had already crossed out that possibility.

"Hermione?" Kagome asked in concern. "Are you alright?"

Hermione's thoughts were a jumble. Talking with the Slytherin was changing everything and anything she had come up with, because there was  _no_  way someone with such a sweet nature could pull such a thing. But, again, why was she torturing her if she was  _so_  sweet by nature? Why would she change the memories of everyone but her if she was so kind and generous like she kept being told? Why would she even  _think_  of doing such a thing? Why—it was truly the only question Hermione wanted answered, but she did not know how to ask.

"— _gome_!" Malfoy called, rounding a corner.

Kagome was startled for only a moment, turning to the other Slytherin. However, she was quick to smile and let her hand drop. "Draco!" she called. She appeared to be genuinely happy to see the other Slytherin, and Hermione had to wonder how someone could be so happy to see, as Ron would proudly put it, that bloody git. Then again, if they were as close as Ron and Harry made it seem, there were  _obviously_  reasons why she might want to see him.

Hermione shuddered at the very thought. Her young, intelligent mind did not find the subject disturbing, but the thought of Malfoy doing such a thing  _was_. Especially with someone that was as pretty, kind, and confusing as Higurashi Kagome. She could almost see it from the way the boy's eyes slid over her form in praise, silently marking his territory and showing her that he desired her. And, that very act made the entire situation even more disturbing.

Malfoy glanced up when he reached Kagome's side, hissing out, " _Granger_."

"Malfoy," she spat. The same situation had happened not long ago, but Hermione found it even tenser than before Malfoy disappeared into the Great Hall after shoving her. For some reason, Kagome's presence made Malfoy even more hostile, but he was clearly trying to cover it up by using a more  _polite_  word to address her. It certainly made the moment even more awkward, because Hermione was not quite sure how to reply after simply spitting his name back at him.

Malfoy would always be a git, but she had never had to deal with him while he was acting like a dog protecting what belonged to it. A starved dog, too. One that had gone weeks without a proper meal and was driven by near insanity to get  _something_  in its belly each day. She could see the resemblance in his eyes, and she almost took a step back. Draco Malfoy had  _never_  been scary, but that possessive look in his eyes  _almost_  frightened her.

"What exactly are you doing, Granger?" Draco demanded.

Hermione went to defend herself, when Kagome tugged at Malfoy's sleeve. The boy looked down at her, and she replied, "Hermione wanted me to answer a few questions she had, was all, Draco. There's nothing to worry about."

Again, Hermione was dumbfounded. The Slytherin girl had just defended her! She could swear she could hear the Gates of the Underworld opening to suck them all in. In a matter of moments the world would be gone, but nothing happened. Hermione was realistic, she knew nothing  _would_  happen, but watching the girl defend her in such a subtle way almost caused her to faint.

Malfoy looked suspicious, but his glare quickly settled onto her, and Hermione huffed. It was  _not_  her fault! Yet, the way Malfoy was looking at her made it very clear that he believed it was. "Well, in  _that_  case, we better go get something to eat before Crabbe and Goyle get their hands onto everything worth eating," he said. "Besides, I've told you that Gryffindors only ask stupid questions, anyway, so you don't have to stop and answer them."

"Oh, I know," Kagome nodded. "But she was so nice about it, and I wanted to help her." After she spoke, she began to walk toward the Great Hall, obviously expecting Draco to follow her. However, Hermione was not surprised when the Slytherin boy stayed behind and turned to sneer in her direction.

"Stay away from Kagome, mudblood," Malfoy snapped. "If you don't, you better hope you watch your back, because there's  _no_  telling what could happen to you."

Knowing a threat when she heard one, Hermione once again went to reply. She planned on telling him that he could not control whom she talked to. She planned to tell him that he had no say in who she chose to speak with. And, she planned to tell him that he could shove his demand wherever he wished to shove it. However, once again, Hermione was cut off when Kagome began to speak.

"Draco?" Kagome called, turning on her heel to gaze back at them. "Are you coming?"

Straightening himself, Malfoy nodded, "Yes, I'm coming." He walked away, easily slipping his arm into Kagome's when he reached her side. Kagome looked like she tried to turn and wave at her, but Malfoy quickly repositioned his arm around her shoulder before she could. Then, they rounded a corner and were gone, leaving Hermione standing in front of the entrance to the dungeons.

Hermione's entire plan had washed itself down the drain. She wondered exactly how long she stood in that spot before finally going to get something to nibble on, but did not think it was all that important. Her main concern was why Higurashi Kagome would go to all the trouble to make her life miserable and then act so nice toward her. Everything she had thought up and researched was now a jumbled mess in her head, and it left her with no answers.

Sighing, Hermione decided to go to bed and think of a different plan. Her confrontation idea had been ruined the moment that sneaky Slytherin showed her kindness, so she obviously needed something with a little more kick to it. Something that Higurashi Kagome would not be able to get away from by simply acting nice.

_Something…_

Hermione, when she finally plopped down into her bed, wished again that Dumbledore had not suddenly disappeared. Now was the time she needed someone as wise as he was, if only to understand a small bit of what was happening to the world around her. So, as she drifted off to sleep, she hoped that soon, very soon, the Headmaster would return to Hogwarts.

And hopefully, he would know of something— _anything_ —that could explain what was happening around her.


	3. The Fading Jewel

Dumbledore did not return as Hermione had hoped.

She went to sleep at night, and woke up the next day wishing that the Headmaster would once more be sitting at the long table watching over the Great Hall. But, he did not appear, and Hermione was forced to try and work out the situation by herself. She could not take the risk of a letter being intercepted before it reached him. Again and again, though, she came out with no results, and she was beginning to get the feeling that something was once again going to happen and ruin everything she had found so far.

That night, when she went to bed, Hermione's suspicions, unfortunately, came true.

She tossed and turned in bed, rumpling the blankets and sheets as she slept. Her dreams had been filled with the thought of Death Eaters, the hazy description of Voldemort often placing him there as well, beginning to invade Hogwarts. She had terrible,  _terrible_  dreams. Her friends would lie dying around her, and she would glance up to find Higurashi Kagome smiling evilly at Draco Malfoy's side, throwing her head back to laugh in triumph. Worst of all, before Hermione could manage to even utter a spell, someone always— _always_ —hit her from behind, and she would fall with the sight of Higurashi Kagome sneering at her weakness.

Hermione would wake up screaming, startling the other girls in her dormitory out of their wits. They had screamed in terror originally, thinking they were being attacked—or molested by some pervert—but it had worn off to the point that they only uttered harsh words the next few nights. After that, they complained to Professor McGonagall, trying as hard they could to escape the dormitory she slept in. None of them got their wish, and they only glared at her for waking them in the middle of the night while within her presence.

That night, however, her dreams were different.

Hermione tossed and turned, her brow beginning to line with sweat as her nightmare began. But, she settled after a moment, when the dream dissolved into nothingness and she was left in a state where dreams could not penetrate her. An hour, maybe two passed, before Hermione rolled over onto her other side, opening her eyes only a crack and shutting them again as she drifted deeper into sleep.

A new dream opened around her, and Hermione's exhausted form was happy with the thought of no more nightmares. She snuggled deeper into her covers, burying her head beneath them, and smiled in her sleep.

_Hogwarts was booming with excitement. It filled the air and suffocated many of the students in a happy aura. It encouraged a sea of voices to speak at once, each drifting in and out, but none of them really as powerful as the voice that spoke from the front._

_Hermione turned her head, smiling in the excitement that buzzed through the area. She was probably the most excited student of all! She had never thought that such a thing would happen while she was in Hogwarts, and she was proud to be a part of the momentous event._

_She had read everything there was to read on the old, magical school. She told Ron and Harry so with her head held high, complaining when Ron chose that moment to roll his eyes. She really could not believe that Ron was taking such an event lightly, considering he should know Hogwarts had not taken in a transfer for seventy-five years. She expected him to be as excited as she was, but apparently her two male friends just could not get away from their discussion on Quidditch._

_Dumbledore's voice broke through the chatter, pulling their attention back to himself. He smiled, his half-moon spectacles barely hiding the twinkle in his eye. Hermione squealed, because this was the moment, and she caught the attention of most of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. She giggled afterward, noticing that Dumbledore was smiling toward her, and settled down._

_As he talked, Hermione bit her lip in hope. She already knew the transfer was going to be a girl. There was simply no way a boy could have been chosen to travel such a distance in order to partake in one of the best wizarding schools in the world. However, she wondered what she would be like. Would she be a daring Gryffindor that often times acted before she thought? Would she be a wise Ravenclaw that often times put too much thought into what she did? Or would she be a kind, humble Hufflepuff that had no wish but to be someone's friend?_

_Hermione did not even consider her being a Slytherin. A transfer, so late in the year even, could not possibly be put there. The student had to be bright, not cunning and sly. There was simply no way any school would choose to send anyone but their best to be transferred, and a Slytherin certainly could_ not _be considered the best from what she had seen of them._

_"Please, welcome Higurashi Kagome," Dumbledore finished, bringing his hands up to clap. Hermione was positive she was clapping the loudest out of the whole school with how excited she was. And, she was even more so when she finally watched the transfer walk into the Great Hall._

_"Wow," she heard Ron mutter, but ignored him. Her attention was completely on the blue-eyed beauty that was walking toward Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall matching her stride. She was assessing her, and Hermione quickly determined that that girl would be a Gryffindor._

_There was no doubt about it in her mind!_

_The Asian girl bowed to the Headmaster, telling him that she was honored to be there, before finally Dumbledore gestured for her to sit upon the stool before him. Professor McGonagall had pulled the old Sorting Hat from its position, waiting to put it on the girl's head, and slowly she walked up to take her seat. It seemed to take forever, but finally she was sitting, and Hermione could almost hear the sound of 'Gryffindor' leaving the Sorting Hat._

_A tiny voice, faint but there, filled the silence. It took the students a moment, but they realized it was coming from the Sorting Hat. They had all heard the old cap speaking quietly in their ear, but never had they actually heard the voice travel beyond the person for the other students to hear. And, it shocked and excited them more, for surely the transfer was very, very special for such a thing to happen._

_"There is an ancient and powerful ability locked deep inside your soul, and it causes others to instinctively fear you. They cannot look beyond it, despite your kind and generous heart, and because of that, I place you into the hands of_ Slytherin _."_

_The Slytherin House name was like a drum, pounding into Hermione's ears the moment it thundered from the Sorting Hat. It had only taken a moment for the old hat to decide where to put one Higurashi Kagome, but Hermione could not believe it. It was like a bad dream, because there was no way the Sorting Hat had actually placed a transfer in that vile House!_

_However, the Slytherins roared in delight, and Hermione sat shocked. Harry patted her on the arm, telling her it would be ok, but Hermione only shook her head dumbly. She could not believe it. A transfer placed into the hands of Slytherin. A transfer! A student that should have been far above those sly snakes, and she was placed into the hands of Slytherin!_

_Hermione pouted a bit, her eyes hardening, as she turned to see Higurashi Kagome sit down. Narrowing her eyes upon her, she decided that transfer or not, she must be as bad as the rest of them. And clearly, someone had made a mistake when they decided to send her._

When Hermione awoke the next day, she blinked slowly at the drifting dream that left her. She shook her head as she rose, trying to shake it away. Another trick, clearly. Higurashi Kagome would not fool her. Though, she had to admit that that dream had seemed so real, almost like she had experienced it, and she frowned.

Glancing around, she spotted another girl up and called out to her. "Lavender?"

"Uh, yes," Lavender Brown blinked, turning on her heel to look at her.

"Do you remember what happened when Higurashi Kagome was sorted into the Slytherin House?" she asked out of curiosity. She was positive her mind had only come up with the silly dream because she was trying so hard to figure out why everyone else's memories had changed. It certainly could not be what had happened, since it was ridiculous to think that the Sorting Hat had spoken out loud its thoughts on  _why_  Higurashi Kagome should be placed into the Slytherin House.

Lavender nodded, "Yes. I do, Hermione. Is there a reason why you want to know?"

"I'm just a little curious." Hermione decided not to tell her that her memory was wrong. She had tried to convince Harry and Ron of it several times already, and neither of them wanted to budge on the subject. They believed what they remembered, and Lavender would probably be quite the same. "I can't quite remember."

"Really?" Lavender looked surprised. "You were so happy that day—before Kagome was put in Slytherin, that is."

"Yes, yes," Hermione nodded, popping open her trunk. "But, did anything out of the ordinary happen that day?"

Lavender nodded, surprising Hermione almost. She replied, "Again, I'm surprised you've forgotten, Hermione. Dumbledore made a whole speech about how surprising it was for the Sorting Hat to talk before it placed her, something about some ancient power or whatnot. You spent several days researching it afterward, if I'm not mistaken."

Hermione looked like she had been slapped, as she quickly tried to smile. "O-oh," she gulped in worry. "Of course, how could I have forgotten!" Quickly, she threw on her robes for the day and fled from the room. She recognized Lavender's voice calling out after her, but she did not stop to tell her what was wrong.

It could not be true! Higurashi Kagome had  _never_  been in Hogwarts! She had never transferred in, and she had never been sorted into the Slytherin House! Hermione would have remembered it, because she never forgot anything, and what she remembered was Higurashi Kagome  _never_  being there. So, how in the world could she have dreamed what everyone else thought?

Was Higurashi playing with her? Was she trying to make her trip over her own theory and stumble until she got away with whatever she was trying to do? That had to be it! That was the only explanation she could think of, because it was not possible for her to have suddenly remembered something that had  _never_  happened. In fact, it would not possible for her to suddenly remember anything about Higurashi, because she did not know more than what she had learned in such a short time.

Again, the possibility that Higurashi Kagome was working with Voldemort slapped Hermione in the face. She had ruled it out, but what if that had been Higurashi's plan? Had she been trying to steer her away from the reality the entire time, in order for her plan to work without any complications? Had she deliberately been putting on an act just to make sure she, Hermione, never figured out what her real plan was?

It certainly sounded like something Voldemort would do, and it chilled Hermione to the core. However, there was one flaw in it. If it was truly some brilliant plot that the Dark Lord had come up with, why had he left her out of the memory loop? Why had he not just ordered Higurashi to use her strange magic in order to change her memory as well? Get rid of the possibility of her being able to convince someone that what they remembered was not real, though she doubted the Dark Lord would be very threatened by that thought.

Why would he have chosen  _her_?

Simple answer: he would not have. He would have chosen Harry Potter. He would have ordered Higurashi Kagome to infiltrate Hogwarts after everyone but Harry's memory had been changed. He would have ordered that Harry be left out of the loop, whether it was to make him look insane or make it easier for his little minion to get rid of him.

Hermione quickly shook the possibility away,  _again_. Voldemort would not have allowed an error of that size to be made. He would have killed Higurashi Kagome without a second thought and found someone more capable of handling the mission.

Halting in her step, Hermione realized she had been walking for quite some time in her pondering. She bit her lip, glancing down to make sure she had her bag, before deciding to head off to class. She could not get caught up in her old theory again, not when she had proved time and again that Higurashi Kagome was not working for Voldemort.

No, the girl was acting on her own. For some reason, she had chosen her, Hermione, as her target. She had picked her, cast her strange spell— _again_ , Hermione was reminded that she had not found anything the girl could have used—and moved along with her plan. And clearly, she had formed a very good plan—whatever it was—because Hermione was still struggling to figure it out.

As she headed to class, Hermione felt a headache beginning to form. Higurashi Kagome had caused her quite a few already, along with Ron and Harry, and it was not anything new. However, the sharp pain in her head came so suddenly that Hermione stopped and placed her hand onto the wall. Another quickly followed, and Hermione touched her temple lightly, wondering where the quick, driving pain could have come from.

It was possible that a spell had been cast, but she was alone in a corridor. Unless someone had stuck only their wand around a corner and struck her from behind, she doubted anyone had attacked her. Besides, in such a situation—her thoughts halted for a single moment, as her head throbbed—she would have been given the warning of some color of light, the impact, or faint whispering. She had not noticed anything of the sort, which meant the headache had been brought on by other means.

Whimpering, Hermione closed her eyes, flashes of her pervious dream drifting through her head. She heard her own thoughts, felt her own excitement, and knew the entire event by heart. It became cemented in her mind, despite how much she tried to shake it loose. She knew it was not real, she knew that Higurashi Kagome had never come to the school through the means of transferring, yet the jabbing pain forced the event upon her.

The pain receded only a bit after a moment, and Hermione tried to forget the dream once again. She had done it many times with nightmares when she was younger, shaking them away and never being bothered by the same one twice. She supposed, now, it was because of the magic running through her veins, but her ability to forget dreams had lessened over the years. And, she supposed, that was probably the reason she failed to shake away the dream.

That, and the pain returned.

Sliding to her knees, Hermione heard the faint clicking of shoes on the floor. It was actually quite early, despite her wish to get to class, so she was instantly cautious. Pain or not, she would not be caught in such a position with how people were already beginning to look at her. She was not crazy, but she knew the scene she was making would probably make them truly believe she was.

Still, she renewed her attempts to forget that dreadful dream. She tried to force her mind into grasping onto what had really happened during her first year, all those wonderful adventures with Ron and Harry, yet her mind shifted and grasped a hold of the dream. The pain struck through her mind like lightning, as she tried once more to remember what had really happened. Again that horrible dream—the memory that so many others had—flashed through her mind, and Hermione felt tears form at the edge of her eyes.

"Hermione?"

Stiffening, Hermione blinked rapidly and turned to find Higurashi Kagome standing behind her. The Slytherin girl looked truly concerned about her, but Hermione was not fooled for a moment. A Slytherin would do  _anything_  to get what they wanted, even if they had to play little miss perfect to do so. And, considering that Higurashi  _was_  a Slytherin, Hermione was not about to let her guard down for a moment.

Not even after she found out what was happening.

"Hermione, are you all right?" the Slytherin asked.

The pain jabbing deep into her brain, Hermione snapped, "I'm fine."

Kagome did not appear deterred, as she moved forward to kneel at her side. Hermione forced herself not to look into her eyes, knowing that the Slytherin was good. The concern she would find there would only make her forget about her theory and begin to question herself, again, and she was not about to let that happen. So, her eyes focused elsewhere, and Hermione found herself staring at the tiny jewel hanging from Higurashi Kagome's neck.

It was  _so_  pretty. It glittered in the light, giving off a faint pink hue that once again contradicted the type of person Hermione  _knew_  Higurashi Kagome to be. It looked so pure, and so perfect settled beneath that slender neck. Almost like it belonged there and would never allow another to wear it. Almost like it would only remain that beautiful pink color  _if_  Higurashi Kagome was wearing it, and Hermione wanted to curse her very train of thought.

The Slytherin girl's hand settled onto Hermione's shoulder, as she spoke. "Maybe we should take you to the Infirmary. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will have something—"

Shrugging off that tainted hand, Hermione growled, "I told you, I'm fine." She did not need, nor did she want help from Higurashi Kagome. She was the very reason Hermione was beginning to feel the way she was, beginning to drive herself to the edge in order to find an answer, because she knew that everyone else needed her help. They needed her, and she would not let Higurashi Kagome try to steer her away from fixing whatever she had done.

Kagome nodded, but grabbed onto her arm. She said, "Ok, but let me help you up. Class if going to start soon, and you might catch a cold if you stay on the floor too long."

Her painful headache throbbed, as she listened to the pretty voice directed at her. Hermione's eyes were once again drawn to the jewel around the Slytherin's neck, and they narrowed upon seeing it. It had darkened in color, the bright pink glimmering lightly through what appeared to be fog. She knew that it was possible for the item to be enchanted to do so, but something about that little jewel set Hermione on edge the moment she saw it.

Still holding her head, Hermione allowed the Slytherin to help her off the ground. Kagome insisted on walking with her down the corridor, even though Hermione protested that she was fine. The Slytherin showed so much concern for her that it almost seemed genuine, but Hermione was determined to cast aside that assumption. No Slytherin would genuinely be concerned for anyone, not even their fellow Slytherins.

Once at the end of the corridor, Kagome turned to the Gryffindor and smiled. Hermione frowned at her, determined once more not to look her in the eye. Her gaze settled onto that pretty little jewel, and her thoughts tried to spin into action while the pain continued to lightly assault her. However, they halted when the other girl began to speak. "I have to go to Divination now, Hermione. I trust you'll be able to get to your class—"

Feeling snappish, the headache not helping, Hermione cut her off. "Yes, I will get to class just fine, thank you very much. In fact—" She lifted her eyes to continue her rant, but seeing that concern forced her to stop. She told herself once more that Higurashi Kagome was  _not_  actually concerned for her, but the fact that she had helped her at all forced her silence.

So, turning on her heel, Hermione marched down the opposite corridor that Kagome would take. She felt the Slytherin's eyes on her back, but paid it little mind. She just wanted her first class to be over with already so she could head off to Defense Against the Dark Arts, where Ron and Harry would be. She did not concern herself with telling them they were wrong anymore, but they would certainly be a good source of information with what they believed was true.

And Hermione, now, wanted to know about that strange necklace that put her on edge. She had not felt any kind of magic coming from it, but something about it made her stomach flip several times.

Her spent her time in class on that day wondering about it, and trying to pick her memories away from that stubborn dream. It assaulted her a few times during class, and though Hermione knew it was not real, it seemed like it was. That scared her to some degree, because she could not quite seem to hold onto the knowledge that halfway through the year she had  _not_  seeing Higurashi Kagome being sorted. It slipped through her hands, the dream rushing forth to fill the gap, and that frightened her.

Did Higurashi Kagome's plan include this? Had she planned all along to change everyone's memory and slowly force them upon her? Was it another plot to torture her? Who was that Slytherin girl, truly? Where had she come from? How was she intelligent enough to not only come up with such a brilliant plan, but also execute it when no one should be able to?

The questions remained, even when Hermione finally walked into Defense Against the Dark Arts and frowned deeply at Professor Umbridge. She took her seat beside Ron, and grabbed the ridiculous book Umbridge was forcing her to read time and again. She dropped it onto the desk, and glanced over when Ron poked her in the side.

"Hey, Hermione," Ron began, "what's the matter with you now?"

Umbridge's annoying cough cut into the conversation, " _Hem, hem_."

Hermione twitched, because she hated the woman with a passion. Not only did she refuse to teach them anything useful, but she had also began to post rules that some of the Slytherin prefects were taking to the extremes. She had seen Draco Malfoy beginning to do so only a few days ago, until Higurashi Kagome stepped in and steered him away from the first year student.

Umbridge continued, tapping her finger on their desk, saying, "Mr. Weasley, this is a place of learning. I'm afraid you will have to wait until class is over to speak with Ms. Granger."

Ron grumbled, but was silenced. Hermione could see that he was thinking, and she knew that it was probably about the day Harry was forced to have spend time in detention with Dolores Umbridge. He had not done anything except speak his mind, and in return the toad made him write the same phrase over and over again with a quill that carved the words into the person's flesh. Which, in Hermione's mind, made the woman not only stupid but also cruel.

Ron turned to her, mouthing, 'After class.'

Hermione nodded, and waited until after class. Her headache was gone by then, much to her enjoyment, and she found herself walking peacefully between Ron and Harry. Well, as peaceful as it could get when Ron mentioned— _everyday_ —that she had yet to prove him wrong.

Harry rolled his eyes off to the side when Ron did so, and Hermione decided that she would let it go that one time. "Ron, give her a break, will ya?" Harry asked. It was clear that he was tired of the fighting, and wanted to talk about something else for once.

Ron frowned, but nodded in agreement. Then, he asked, "So, Hermione, what were you thinking about back before that toad decided to interrupt?"

"I wanted to ask you two a question," Hermione replied.

"Is it about Kagome?" Ron asked stiffly. He, clearly, had had enough of her constant determination to prove Higurashi Kagome had never been there. He remembered what he remembered, and Hermione could not change that— _yet_.

When she nodded, she noticed that Ron decided to roll his eyes. Frowning a bit more, Hermione said, "Yes, it is about her. Actually, to be more precise, I wanted to ask about the jewel that she wears around her neck. Have you ever seen it?"

Harry blinked in surprise, thinking. After a moment, he replied, "I've seen it. It's a little round thing that she's got on a thin chain, right?"

Hermione nodded. She had suspected that they had at least seen it, though they might not have gazed at it with as much intensity as she had. In fact, with their male habits, they probably looked right by it if they ever decided to look at the Slytherin girl that way. After all, Hermione noted in her mind, Higurashi Kagome  _did_  have something for them to look at if they chose to be perverted enough.

"Oh, that thing?" Ron asked. "She's always wearing it."

"Why do you want to know about that, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I just noticed it," Hermione said. She saw Ron shake his head, clearly not believing that his memory was wrong. "I know that it could be enchanted, but I wanted to ask if either of you have ever heard her say that it is."

"Enchanted?" Ron asked. "Why would it be enchanted?"

"Well, it was changing colors while I was looking at it, Ron," Hermione told him. "And, it wasn't like one of those Muggle items that changes colors, either. It was clearly magic that caused the color to fade, and I wanted to know—"

"Hermione," Ron stared into her eyes, trying to get his message across as clearly as he possibly could. "The jewel that Kagome wears all the time is clear, you couldn't have seen it change colors."

"No, I clearly saw it—" Hermione stopped. Her mind whirled at the information, trying to piece together something that could explain the reason such a thing would happen. And, instantly, she wondered if it somehow tied into whatever Higurashi Kagome had done to make everyone forget what she remembered.

"Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Oh," Hermione smiled. "That's all I wanted to know."

Harry blinked, saying under his breath, "That's  _not_  what I was going to ask."

Hermione twitched a little, when Ron tried to secretively talk to Harry behind her back. He said, "I really think she's starting to lose it, mate."

"I don't think it's quite that bad yet," Harry replied softly.

"Yeah, well, another day like this and I think I'm going to—"

"You know," Hermione hissed, turning to glare at them, "I can hear you  _quite_  well."

Harry managed to look a bit guilty, but Ron merely blinked at her. Huffing, Hermione rolled her eyes and stomped off once more. Ron just could not understand that she  _was_  right and he  _was_  wrong. Really, it was not a hard concept, and she had hoped that after years of being together, he would realize that she knew a bit more about magic than he did. And since the entire situation she found herself in dealt with magic—she was sure of it—she had hoped he would come to support her.

Clearly, she put too much faith in him.

Behind her, she heard Harry say, "Great, now you've gone and done it again."

Intelligently, Ron's reply was, "What?"

Hermione rounded a corner, knowing they had to be in Potions next, and raced away from their voices. Ron was just managing to make her angry, and drawing her away from the solution that might fix the entire mess. Hermione frowned, because now that she thought about it  _that_  was probably also another piece of Higurashi Kagome's plan. Turn her friends against her, make them believe she was truly losing her mind, and in the process make her, Hermione, believe it was happening, too.

Gritting her teeth, she once again tried to pull forth what she had been doing during her first year. Flashes went through her head, what she remembered, and then that dreadful dream popped into the scene. She tried to push it away, but it remained, no matter how much she knew it had  _not_  happened. It just would not go away, and she had a feeling it would not go away, no matter how much she tried to make it.

At least, not until she figured out what Higurashi Kagome had done.

Potions was uneventful, no matter how much Hermione glared at the Slytherin girl's back whenever she answered Snape's questions. She noticed that Malfoy's hand was lightly settled onto Higurashi's unoccupied one, but she really did not care about their little piece of Slytherin love. All she wanted to know was what was happening, and if she was correct when she thought that little jewel, still fading in color when she saw another glimpse of it, had something to do with the situation.

It would be brilliant on Higurashi's part. Use that little jewel as the catalyst for her plan, because no one would suspect such a little thing—so,  _so_  pretty—contained some ancient spell that affected them all. All of them except her. No one would expect a fifth year student to even know how to do such a thing, because it required a high level of magic, which meant the girl had either had the information drilled into her head since she was very little or was not who she made herself out to be.

Hermione leaned a little more toward the latter option, because she  _still_  could not find a reason for the Dark Lord to have wanted this. He would have wanted Harry Potter to look insane, not Hermione Granger. He would not have cared what happened to her, though she supposed she  _might_  have believed Harry if he came to her saying that he had never seen or heard of Higurashi Kagome before. But, how would Voldemort know that?

She was so confused. Her mind was wrapping around the knowledge that Higurashi Kagome  _had_  been in her first year, despite the fact she knew she had  _not_  been, and she still could not figure out what Higurashi Kagome's game was. Was she working for the Dark Lord or not? What did she hope would come out of her plan? How in the world had she managed to perform a spell that should have been impossible to cast?

That night, Hermione went to bed once more. Her mind had been made up. It was dangerous to send a letter to Dumbledore, but she would do it. She would ask Harry to borrow Hedwig, and send the owl off to find the Headmaster in hopes of getting some answers. There were too many elements, too many things to consider, and Hermione knew that she would not be able to figure out the puzzle on her own.

She knew it was the right action to take, too, when she finally slipped into her dreams.

_Malfoy was such a git._

_Hermione was aware of that more than anything at the moment, and she felt her hand close into a fist. She would not watch as the Slytherin made fun of her friend, but as she took a step forward, a tiny hand landed on Malfoy's shoulder._

" _Draco," a distant voice called. "Come on, we don't have time for this."_

_Malfoy's eyes, surprisingly, seemed to soften as he turned, and subconsciously Hermione was not surprised to see Higurashi Kagome standing behind him. It was not often they were a part, and Hermione almost smiled. Kagome was the perfect thing to steer Malfoy's attention away from them, and she knew it…_


	4. Paranoia

Hermione twisted lightly in her seat, as the pain began to increase in her head. She knew already that another memory was forming, ready to drive away what she  _knew_  was real, and she could only hope that it did not last long. Especially after the last one, drilling into her head the strange friendship between Higurashi Kagome and Draco Malfoy's small Slytherin group.

Her attention turned away from the professor, as she tried her hardest to keep herself still. The pain was almost more than she could handle. It always was. And she could not help but wonder if  _that_  was Higurashi Kagome's plan. Make her look insane and then kill her with the onslaught of memories that she thrust upon her each and every day.

Gritting her teeth, Hermione felt tears form in the corner of her eyes. The pain stabbed at her mind, cementing the memory that began to fill her head, and Hermione's only reprieve was when her vision faded. The feeling of floating overtook her body as it happened, the distant sound of voices filling her head, while she found herself back in her second year.

_Hermione gripped her mirror tightly as she left the library, holding onto the piece of paper she had torn from an old book. It all made sense now! Though, she still could not find any evidence that Draco Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin, it made perfect sense._

_A basilisk! Why had she not thought of it in the first place?_

_She walked swiftly, stopping at each corner to lift her mirror and check the next corridor. However, she slowed when she thought she heard movement in the third corridor she needed to move through, and lifted the mirror more slowly. She almost closed her eyes, but realized that the thought was ridiculous, and was surprised when she spotted another person in the mirror's reflection._

_Rounding the corner, Hermione gazed upon Higurashi Kagome. The Slytherin girl was standing next to a wall, touching it lightly, and Hermione frowned at the sight. She knew for a fact that the basilisk was using the pipes to move through the school, and it was more than a little suspicious that Kagome would be touching a wall while alone. "Higurashi Kagome?" she called._

_The Slytherin girl jumped only slightly, turning to her. She blushed, "Oh! Hermione, what are you going out here?"_

_Hermione narrowed her eyes as her mind processed the strange behavior of the other girl. Maybe, just maybe, that was why Higurashi Kagome had transferred to Hogwarts. Maybe she was the Heir of Slytherin. So, Hermione could not help but ask, "What are you doing out here by yourself? Haven't you heard about what's been happening to the other students?"_

_Of course, Kagome had nothing to worry about anyway. None of the attacks had been on a Slytherin._

" _I had to speak with Professor McGonagall," Kagome replied._

" _Why are you touching that wall?" Hermione hissed lightly. She was_ not _about to trust the Slytherin girl. True, she had done nothing to warrant any hostility—well, besides being friends with Malfoy—but the strange event had to be more than a coincidence._

" _I thought I heard something," Kagome stated slowly._

_Hermione only stared at the other girl for a moment, before deciding that she was wasting her time. She could contemplate whether or not Higurashi Kagome was the Heir of Slytherin later, after she had given her information to Harry and Ron. "Oh," she said, "well, you should probably get back to your House."_

" _Yeah," she nodded. She looked nervous almost, as her eyes flickered back up toward the wall. "I'll do that."_

_Hermione nodded back, watching as the Slytherin girl picked up her fallen bag and began to walk by her. She started to walk after a moment, deeming it safe, but was surprised when Kagome called out to her again. She turned at her voice, blinking, as Kagome's warning passed over her ears._

" _Oh, and Hermione," she said before turning a corner, "you should be careful."_

_Hermione narrowed her eyes again, wondering what the warning had been for. She was taking all the—_

_Something moved behind her, and Hermione stilled. She closed her eyes for a moment, hoping, but the sound of something large echoed in her ears again. Slowly, knowing that panic would probably end with her in a far worse situation, Hermione lifted her mirror. And the world went still the moment she glanced into it briefly._

Pain seared through her mind, as Hermione tried to shake away the new memory. It had not happened! She  _knew_  it had not happened. She  _knew_  without a doubt that she had exited the library when she had caught sight of the basilisk in her mirror, not after she had spoken with Higurashi Kagome. Because the girl had never been there! Never!

Whimpering lightly, Hermione hoped she was not attracting the attention of the other students. The memories hitting her during her sleep had been one thing, a light occurrence that she just could  _not_  shake away, but while she was awake the pain doubled and she wanted to cry. Allow herself a brief moment to shed tears, because everything she knew and believed was shattering around her like broken glass. She could not hold onto them, no matter how hard she tried, and she was positive that it was Higurashi Kagome's fault.

Yet, still she could not find evidence of such an event occurring—of even being able to exist. No matter how quick the  _memories_  hit her, or how quick she tried to find a way to fix the problem, she could not find  _anything_  that sounded remotely similar to the situation she found herself in. Which suggested that there should be  _no way_  for the Slytherin girl to perform such a feat, but somehow it was happening and the blasted girl had chosen her to be her plaything.

Briefly, her mind retraced itself to the tiny jewel that hung around the Slytherin's thin throat. So,  _so_  pretty, though her mind recoiled, hissing and told her to stay far, far away from the pretty, pretty little jewel. It did not make sense, but nothing did anymore and Hermione could only whimper as she recalled the fading appearance of the little jewel.

"Ms. Granger?"

Hermione twisted in her seat once again. Why? Why would the Slytherin girl do this? How could  _anyone_  be cruel enough that they would force  _so much_  pain and suffering onto another person? How could  _anyone_  do such an awful thing to another human being, probably knowing that over time they would begin to break inside?

She was nearly as terrible as the Dark Lord himself.

"Ms. Granger?" Hermione's attention snapped to the professor, as his hand landed lightly on her arm. "You don't look well. Would you like to go visit Madam Pomfrey?"

Glad to have such a distraction, Hermione nodded quickly. She said, "Y-yes. Thank you, Professor."

The man merely nodded his head lightly in return, moving back up the aisle as the other Hogwarts students continued with their quiz.

As fast as she could, Hermione fled the classroom. The pain in her head did not decrease, pounding away at her memories and crushing the world she knew to be true, while she clutched her book bag to her chest. A whimper left her mouth the moment she closed the door, her body wishing to crumble to the floor, but she endured the pain and decided that all she needed was some rest. Yes, yes, some rest would do her good.

Tears finally washed over Hermione's cheeks, as she forced her feet to take her back to the Gryffindor Tower. They did not help with the pain coursing through her head, ripping a part her memories and settling new ones in their place, but they  _did_  help her cope a little. Just a little, because at least it told her that she was still there, still breathing, and still defying _whatever_  Higurashi Kagome was trying to accomplish.

The further she walked, though, the more unbearable the pain became. Her head hurt  _so_  much. It felt like knives were being shoved into her head from every direction possible, twisting her thoughts up and causing her to lose her balance. And the contents of her bag spilled into the corridor when she finally lost her grip on it, trying to hold onto her head as the pain pierced through her body again.

No, no, no. They were not real. They were  _not_  real.

_"Have you ever seen anything quite so pathetic?" said Malfoy. "And he's supposed to be our teacher?"_

_Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy, but Hermione got there first. Anger flooded through her body, while she reared her hand back and slapped the Slytherin boy across the face with all the strength she could muster. She almost sneered as Malfoy staggered off his feet, landing in the cold stone._

_How dare he!_

_Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle were all looking at her dumbfounded, she knew, but she really did not care as she glared furiously at Draco Malfoy. She raised her hand again, watching as he flinched._

" _U—" Malfoy started._

" _Don't you_ dare _call Hagrid pathetic, you foul—you evil—" Hermione could not bring herself to finish her sentence, she was so angry._

" _Hermione!" Ron tried to talk some type of sense into her._

 _Hermione would have none of it, though, as she quickly shoved Ron's hand from her arm. "Get_ off _, Ron!" she hissed, making a move for her wand. It slid from her robes easily, and she pointed it at Malfoy's face without hesitation. She even took a step forward to keep it there when the foul boy tried to scramble away from her advance._

_Suddenly, Hermione was surprised when a smooth surface pressed against her throat. She turned herself just slightly, catching sight of Higurashi Kagome standing next to her, her blood-red wand digging into her flesh. "Do you—" she started, but the other girl beat her to the punch._

" _You will kindly remove your wand from my friend's face," Kagome stated coldly. Her voice was forceful, demanding, and Hermione was stunned. She had_ never _heard Higurashi Kagome speak in such a tone to anyone. Yet there she was, defending her friend and demanding she step away._

_Malfoy managed to lift himself onto his feet, making sure to keep distance between himself and her wand. Hermione found it amusing, though her attention was on the wand pressing up against her._

_Harry and Ron seemed to finally realize the seriousness in the situation, as they both pulled their wands from their robes._

" _I understand that he has insulted your friend," Kagome said softly, "but you have already had your revenge. So,_ again _, I will kindly ask you to put away your wand, Hermione Granger."_

_Glaring at Malfoy, as he stared at Kagome as if he had never seen her before, Hermione allowed her wand to lower. Harry and Ron took the hint, following her example, while she gave herself a moment to calm down. "Fine." She stated curtly, watching the other girl closely. "We'll go if you do."_

_Higurashi Kagome jerked her head toward the dungeons, and Crabbe and Goyle instantly took to her silent message, fleeing down the dungeons steps. Kagome then took a step backward, forcing Malfoy to do the same, before she finally turned on her heel and grabbed Malfoy by the arm to drag him the rest of the way down and out of their sight._

_Hermione scowled a little bit. Higurashi Kagome was one of the few people in the school that could have matched her, but she had_ really _wanted to cast a spell straight into Malfoy's face. Especially after what he had said about Hagrid._

" _We should probably get goin'," Harry said softly._

_Hermione nodded, turning on her heel. However, she did look back toward the dungeons when she heard the faint sound of flesh hitting flesh, followed by bickering._

" _Ow!" the voice obviously belonged to Malfoy. "What'd you hit me for?"_

" _Because!" Higurashi Kagome growled. "I can't_ believe _you did that, you jerk!"_

" _Wh—Kagome!"_

" _See if I_ ever _save you again!"_

" _Hermione," Ron called, "are you coming?"_

_Smiling faintly, Hermione nodded. Maybe Higurashi Kagome was not as bad as she first thought. After all, she seemed as loyal as any Gryffindor._

Hermione felt the world spin, as she tried to figure out which way was up. She had never had two visions so close together,  _never_ , and the pain increased ten-fold inside her head. She could not hold herself upright, the pain was too much, and she was vaguely aware of the floor becoming increasingly close.

Then, the world went black.

* * *

Voices penetrated her mind, calling her name, but she could not pull herself away from the sensation of falling that filled her body the moment she became conscious. She could not fight it, no matter how much her mind screamed, and she only groaned.

_"What happen? Viktor dump you?" Ron sneered._

_Hermione scowled at him. She simply could not believe how he was acting. Viktor Krum was very charming and nice, and she did not understand why he continued to say he was the enemy. "Really, now, Ron," she growled, "do you have to be so rude?"_

_"No, but I find it simply_ dashing _that_ Vicky's _decided to dance with a Slytherin," Ron continued. He was acting like a stupid, stupid idiot._

"Don't call him Vicky!"  _Hermione growled for the second time that night. She could not understand. They were supposed to be making friends with the foreign wizards, yet Ronald Weasley seemed to believe that she was suddenly turning against the entire school. And he was the one that wanted to meet him so badly at the beginning of the year!_

_"Ron, I don't really think—"_

_Ron ignored Harry, again, as he shifted his gaze away from them both. "Simply, bloody brilliant," he scowled. "Look over there—Malfoy looks like he's going to stab a knife into Viktor's hand or something soon. And personally—"_

_"Ronald," Padma shook her head. She did not look happy at all._

_"—I'd_ really  _like to see how well_  Viktor _would defend himself against that!" Ron finished._

_Hermione sent a massive scowl in his direction. She had been sure that he would have at least calmed down within the time she had been gone, but it appeared that his mood could not be brightened. He actually wanted to throw all the insults. He wanted to put Viktor down. He wanted to, and he was acting like a jealous, spoiled, immature, little brat._

_Ron cast a glance down at the ground. Hermione thought for a moment he might actually be thinking about what he had said, realizing how rude he was, but her hopes were dashed when he spoke again. "Yeah," he nodded, "I'd really like to see that. Maybe Malfoy'll pull his wand and try to curse him. Or maybe Malfoy'll set him on fire in order to get his hands off his little girlfriend. What do you think, Harry?"_

_"I, um," Harry cast a nervous glance in her direction, "would prefer not to—"_

_Hermione cut him off, yelling, "I can't believe you! You're so_ —so— _stupid!"_

_"I'm stupid?" Ron laughed. "You're the one that's fraternizing with the enemy!"_

_"Oh, so you're back to that are you?" Hermione snorted. "Fraternizing with the enemy! Fraternizing with the enemy! Is that all you can think? Four years, Ronald. Four years of friendship, and you think that I'd suddenly throw it all away, help Viktor with the egg, and ruin Harry's chance of winning this tournament? That's what you think? Well, fine!"_

_Hermione turned on her heel, marching away from the bench that Ron and Harry had seated themselves upon. The words had just come rushing from her mouth, she was so angry with him, and she wanted nothing to do with him now. Not for a long time! Because really, fraternizing with the enemy? If anyone was_  fraternizing with the enemy  _it was Viktor himself for not only asking her to the Yule Ball, but also dancing with a Slytherin!_

_Quickly, Hermione searched the dance floor for Viktor. She spotted him easily enough once she managed to squeeze through a group of giggling girls, and smiled when she noticed that he was finally alone. The Slytherin girl, Higurashi Kagome, was nowhere to be seen, and she was happy about that. She really did not know why Viktor had wanted to dance with her in the first place._

_"Ah, Herm-own-ninny, there you are," Viktor greeted. "I vas just about to come look for you."_

_Hermione smiled, her anger draining away. Ron was wrong. Viktor was not the enemy. So, she asked, "What happened to Kagome?"_

_"Oh, her boyfriend came," Viktor smiled. "He vas not very nice."_

_"Her boyfriend?" Hermione asked. She was unaware that Higurashi Kagome had a boyfriend. She knew that the girl had come with Draco Malfoy, but she had assumed that that was because she was always with him and the other Slytherins in their group. Was there something more that she had not seen? And how had she missed it?_

_Viktor nodded, pointing behind her, stating, "They went over there."_

_Turning on her heel, Hermione caught sight of Kagome speaking rapidly with Malfoy. She instantly understood why Viktor, having come from another school, might see them as a couple. They looked good together; Malfoy wearing his black velvet dress robes with the high collar, and Kagome wearing her midnight blue robes with the silver trim. "Oh," she decided to tell him, "they're not—"_

_Hermione did not finish, though, as she noticed Malfoy lift his hand hesitantly—unexpectedly—and cup Kagome's chin. The Slytherin girl looked as surprised as she felt, as the boy's other arm wrapped tightly around her waist and pulled her close to his chest. She seemed to stumble over something she tried to say, but Malfoy cut her off as he leaned into her and captured her lips with his own._

_"I told you he vas her boyfriend," Viktor grinned._

_"O-oh," Hermione blinked. How had she missed it? Sure, she had noticed that Malfoy had obvious feelings for his Slytherin companion, but she had never thought that they were actually_  together.

_"Vell, Herm-own-ninny?" Viktor asked._

_Hermione, not quite sure what he had asked, turned away from the scene before her and grinned. "Oh, of course!" she nodded. Now was not the time to be contemplating over the piece of Slytherin love she had seen, nor was it time to be trying to figure out why Ron suddenly decided to be so rude. Now was time for fun, and she was certainly willing to let Viktor lead the way._

Hermione sat up quite suddenly, her eyes springing completely open as she finally managed to shove away the awful,  _awful_  memory. Her mind, trying desperately to cling to the truth, tried to hold onto what she knew was true. But, like always, it slipped through her fingers and she found herself unable to bring forth the truth that she knew.

She hated the painful ache in her head, and the fact that she could not hold onto the truth that she knew to be true. She hated it. Hated it so much. Hated it so much that tears began to gather in her eyes, while she gripped the sheets beneath her tightly. Her knuckles turned white while she did so, but she did not seem to notice as a jab of pain rushed through her mind.

No, no, no. Viktor had never asked Higurashi Kagome to a dance. She had never been there in the first place. And she had certainly never tried to make amends with Ron during the Yule Ball. She had never been given a reason to. Never, yet the memory cemented itself in her mind.

She could not remember a time that she had not tried to speak with Ron and Harry once more that night because Viktor was dancing with Kagome. She could not remember a time that she did not watch Draco Malfoy pull the Slytherin deep into his embrace and kissed her. She could not remember a time that she did not decide to ignore the simple fact that she had missed something between the two Slytherins.

She could not remember it, yet it was  _so_  clear that none of it had ever happened! Her mind screamed that something was not right. It wept in despair, trying desperately to find the flaw, yet there was none. There simply was  _none_ , and it was all Higurashi Kagome's fault. Her fault. Her fault. Her—and that pretty,  _pretty_  little jewel.

Hermione had to do something. She  _had_  to. Dumbledore was not returning. He would not return, and she was positive now that it was because of the Slytherin girl. She was holding him back, keeping him away, and the only way she was going to fix whatever was wrong was by doing it herself. Now— _now_!—not later. Because waiting would only give her more time to press down upon her, and waiting would only make her mad.

"Ms. Granger," Madam Pomfrey called. "Ms. Granger!"

Hermione's feet had already hit the floor, as she clutched the thin outfit she was wearing around her body. She did not hear Madam Pomfrey's call, her mind set on finally  _trying_  to fix whatever had happened around her, instead of merely thinking about it. And then she was running, fleeing, desperate to find the one person that had come into her life and thoroughly managed to tear it a part before her very eyes.

But no more. Hermione was determined to stop it now. She would, too. She would do whatever she could— _anything_ —in order to find out what the evil,  _evil_  Slytherin had done and fix it. She would make everything right again. She would make everyone see that Higurashi Kagome was tricking them and then she would settle down into a nice, warm bed and allow her aching head to rest.

She would!

Hermione heard her feet pounding on the floor, echoing in the empty corridors, while she raced toward the stairs. Moving portraits called out to her, asking her what was the matter or telling her to slow down, but she only vaguely registered that they were doing so. Her mind was focused on one goal, her ears straining to find the sound of someone else, and she did not have time to listen.

The stairs were easily conquered, though in her desperate dash she had jumped from one that began to move and nearly sprained her ankle. She did not care. She could worry about it later. She needed to find Higurashi Kagome, put a stop to whatever she had done, and a little pain was nothing compared to the piercing ache in her head.

The remaining stream of sunlight beat down on her from the wide windows, making her pant, but Hermione did not allow it to faze her. She continued to run, her legs pumping madly, as her stomach instinctively told her she would find Higurashi Kagome soon enough. The girl would not be in the Slytherin common room or her dormitory. No, she would be out in the open, waiting for her, and Hermione allowed herself a small moment to wonder if it had anything to do with what had happened around her.

How was Higurashi's presence and her memories connected? How had she done it? Why had she done it? Why had she chosen her? How could it be fixed? All of her questions would soon be answered, she was positive, even if she had to shove her wand into the Slytherin girl's face and make her demands.

The dungeons came into view, cold and dismal, but Hermione did not allow herself a moment to think about what devious snake might be waiting for her at the bottom. She was instantly upon the first, cold step and continued onward. Her feet pounded against the cold stone, echoing through the tense atmosphere, and she became aware of just how cold the dungeons actually were.

Hermione clutched onto her thin outfit as she finally reached the bottom. She turned her head from side to side when she did, trying to remember Ron and Harry's broken tale of how they entered and escaped from the Slytherin common room. The password had no doubt changed, but she positive that she could wait long enough for a Slytherin to enter and unknowingly give her the new one. Then she would be nearly home free, since there was a good chance that a Slytherin prefect would become aware of her presence.

Her head hurt  _so_  much. It was hard to think. It was so hard to try and remember what Ron and Harry had told her, while her memory supplied her with the faint image of Higurashi Kagome. It was so  _hard_ , and she knew it was the Slytherin's fault, while her mind tried to push away the memories filling the gaps in her head.

They were not true. They would  _never_  be true. Why was it so hard for her memory to understand that? Why was it so hard to push away the  _memories_  she knew were false? Why had Higurashi Kagome decided to push all the pain and suffering that she was now feeling upon her? What had she  _ever_  done to the Slytherin girl?

Turning on her heel, Hermione finally entered another corridor. The entrance to the Slytherin common room, a large wall of stone if she remembered correctly, had to be close by. It had to be, and it should not be too hard for her to find it—

"Hermione?"

Hermione's stomach twisted up in knots suddenly, as she glanced behind her to find the Slytherin girl standing behind her. Higurashi Kagome actually had the gall to look innocent, while that damn jewel glittered happily around her neck. Hermione's mind screamed the moment she set eyes on it, hissing to stay away, while she instinctively took a step away from the other girl.

Kagome frowned, asking, "What are you doing down here?"

She  _refused_  to be fooled again. The Slytherin had to be hissing at her, not showing concern, as she demanded to know why she was so close to her common room. After all, Slytherins hated Gryffindors and vice versa, so there was no reason for a Gryffindor to be wandering around the Slytherin domain.

When she did not speak, Kagome called again, "Hermione, are you feeling alright? You look pale."

Oh, she was good. Really good, to have actually made her think that she  _might_  be innocent. But, Hermione laughed bitterly after a moment, while Higurashi Kagome blinked in confusion. Then, she snapped, "Don't. Just  _don't_. I know what your game is now,  _Higurashi_. I know, and I'm going to put a stop to it."

Confused, Kagome said, "I don't understand."

"Don't play dumb with me!" Hermione yelled, her eyes furious. "You thought you could get away with it, torturing me like this, but you were wrong! I'm not going to just roll over and play dead while you corrupt the rest of the school! I'm going to stop you here and now!"

"Her—"

The necklace around Higurashi Kagome's neck continued to glitter happily, the light pink coloration fading and returning. It was not nearly as bright as Hermione remembered, but she _hated_  it. Hated it, and she cut the other girl off. "Give me that damn jewel!"

"W—" Kagome's eyes widened, as Hermione advanced quickly.

Stay away. Do not touch it. Hermione's mind hissed at her, stabbed her with pain, but it already hurt so much that she did not realize it. All she realize was that she was going to get that jewel, take it, whether or not her mind agreed with her body's decision.

Instinctively, Kagome drew her wand from her robes.

Hermione's eyes zeroed in on the weapon. Her pupils instantly dilated.

_Higurashi Kagome raised her wand completely, her mouth suddenly twisting upward into a cruel smirk. A deep, dark chuckle left her throat, as her eyes flashed a dark, bloodied red before Hermione's eyes._

" _Avada Kedavra!"_

" _No!"_  Hermione screamed, feeling Kagome's wand press into her stomach. She swiped her hand out, determined to steal away the pretty, pretty little jewel hanging around the Slytherin's neck, but a hand grabbed onto the collar of her outfit and yanked her backwards.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, mudblood!"

Hermione's pupils refused to shrink, as she madly turned her eyes up to find Draco Malfoy wrapping himself around Higurashi Kagome. He was protecting her and it took Hermione a moment to realize what he was protecting the Slytherin girl from. Malfoy was protecting her from her, Hermione. But, he should not be. "What am I doing?" she yelled. "What are you doing? Can't you see that she's not supposed to be here?"

Draco's eyes darkened, as he sneered. "How dare—"

"Draco," Kagome called softly.

Draco Malfoy pulled her closer, protecting her, but his glare did not diminish.

"What's wrong with you all?" Hermione screamed. "Everything's all wrong! All of it!"

More Slytherins slid from the background, prefect badges gleaming on their robes, while they watched her shake her head wildly. She heard one snap for another to find Professor Snape, but her eyes remained locked on Higurashi Kagome. And then, finally, tears swept down over her cheeks and dropped onto the floor beneath her.

"All of it," Hermione whispered brokenly. "All of it."

The Slytherins merely watched, silent.

"Why? Why?" Hermione refused to look away from the Slytherin girl, even as she buried her face into Malfoy's shoulder. "Why?"

She did not receive an answer, as Professor Snape arrived and demanded she compose herself. Nor did she receive an answer as the man grabbed onto her arm, harshly dragging her away and back toward the Infirmary, though she watched the girl cling to her Slytherin companion until they were out of sight.


	5. Rewind

"…suspicious, though, Headmaster, considering Ms. Granger only began to act this way once you decided to take your temporary leave."

Vaguely, Hermione Granger became aware of the world around her once more. The voice was familiar, nagging, yet she could not place where it had come from in her current state of mind.

There was just…  _so_  much pain.

"I understand that, Severus." The new voice was calm, reassuring, and strangely enough it put Hermione slightly at ease. "I am not about to place blame on Ms. Higurashi, despite Ms. Granger's frantic letter, considering she  _has_  been a student here for nearly as long as Ms. Granger herself. However, you must understand that there  _is_  something going on here, otherwise Ms. Granger would not currently be in a hospital bed."

"You  _cannot_  seriously believe that Higurashi Kagome had anything to do with this predicament, Headmaster," the original voice snapped.  _God_ , it hurt so much. "I have watched that girl grow myself and  _never_  has she—"

"That is quite enough, Severus. Ms. Higurashi is your student, yes, but you cannot allow your need to protect the Slytherin students cloud your judgment."

Flashes occurred beneath Hermione's eyelids, reminding her of her task. Her mission to put a stop to the infiltration of one Higurashi Kagome, and figure out how she had altered memories on such a massive scale. Yet, the sharp, stabbing pain in her head distracted her. It shifted her thought, made her wish only to find a way to make the pain go away, and she felt Higurashi Kagome slip into the back of her mind once more.

She could not focus. She could not even force herself to open her eyes. There was so much pain. So, so,  _so_  much pain.

Why… why would someone do such a thing to her?

"Headmaster?"

The near soothing voice, allowing her mind to titter near sanity, returned. "Is there something you would like to add, Poppy?"

"I merely wanted to remind you that the girl is in a lot of pain, and it would be helpful if you kept your voice down more than usual." The person paused, before adding, "As you can see, she's crying again."

She… was crying?

No,  _no_ , they were wrong. She was  _not_  crying. She had no reason to cry. Besides, she would know if she were crying—

Liquid trailed down her cheek once more, surprising her hectic mind.

"Of course, Poppy," the voice lowered. Hermione almost wished they would speak up, considering the pain piercing through her head made it hard to hear them. "We'll be more considerate in the future."

"Is that really all that Ms. Granger's letter said, Albus?" another voice broke into the fray. "I imagine it hard for someone to suddenly appear out of nowhere and begin to change memories, but perhaps Ms. Granger was looking in the right direction. Merely, with the wrong person."

"I had given the thought consideration, Minerva. However, after receiving Ms. Granger's letter, I have attempted to find any source of Dark magic that might have helped Tom change _her_  memory, at least, without penetrating Hogwarts walls."

"And you found  _nothing_ ," the original voice sneered.

"That's right, Severus." Hermione could almost hear the nod that followed. "Hogwarts is impenetrable. Dark magic can no longer be performed on such a massive scale without a sacrifice of equal proportion, and many of the items needed during the ritual were used up during the sixteenth century."

"And I imagine that such high level sorcery is far too advanced for Ms. Higurashi to perform," the soft woman's voice stated.

"Of course it is!" the arrogant tone snapped.

"Now, now, Severus. There is no reason to overreact."

"I do not see why not," he snapped. "It is clear to me that you're  _considering_  the possibility, when there is none!"

"That is the problem, though. We  _must_  consider Ms. Higurashi, Severus, despite the fact I know that she cannot hope to perform such magic, because there are very few possibilities."

"Yes," the soothing voice agreed. "While I do not believe Ms. Higurashi changed the memories of every person except Ms. Granger, there is a possibility that she is being controlled in some fashion and being forced to torture Ms. Granger. You yourself cannot deny such a thing, Severus."

The previous voice did not reply, to which Hermione was grateful for. Her head hurt— _"Draco!"_ —hurt  _so_  much. It hurt so much that she was not sure how much longer she would be able to—" _You will kindly remove your wand from my friend's face._ "—remain conscious. In fact, she was not even sure how she had managed to—

"K… Ka…" she tried. She just could  _not_  speak, though, and she doubted that anyone around her had even heard the low mummer. B-but, she had to try. She had  _to try_ …

"Headmaster, I think it best this is discussed elsewhere."

Something cool touched her forehead, and the thought she had been desperate to cling to slipped away into oblivion. The pain increased, tears slipping from beneath her lids, and she whimpered uncontrollably.

W- _why_  were they hurting her?!

"Poor, girl." The cool feeling retreated. "I'm starting to think it might be best to send her away to St. Mungo's. Whatever she's got, they'll be able to treat her better than I can at this point."

"Dark magic is difficult to counteract, Poppy. None of us will blame you if you make that decision." For a small moment, while the voice drew closer, Hermione had the sense that she was supposed to remember something. Something  _important_. Except, for the life of her, she could not seem to focus on  _what_  exactly she was supposed to remember.

 _"Why? Why?_ " Hermione flinched, the memory ricocheting around in her head. The image that floated after it was far too blurry to remember, though, and her head hurt so much that she really did not want to remember.

She just wanted the pain to  _stop_.

A gentle hand smoothed over the top of her head, and Hermione pulled away from the madness she found herself within for a single moment. "Ka… go…" she muttered, forcing her lips to form the words that she  _needed_  her vocal cords to pronounce.

"She's tired, Albus. We should let her sleep."

"Yes, I quite agree, Minerva."

Then, the voices were gone; insanity tugging happily at the corner of her mind again, and Hermione felt herself slip away back into the darkness.

* * *

Something was wrong.

Something was definitely  _wrong_.

Hermione's eyes snapped open, her pupils shrinking in horror when she realized that Higurashi Kagome was dangerously close to her face. "W-what—?" It hurt to speak.

Kagome smiled sadly, and stopped just short of touching Hermione when the other girl flinched away from her. "Oh, Hermione," she said. "I'm  _so_  sorry that this had to happen to you."

Blocking out the pain that coursed through her body, Hermione pushed herself away from the Slytherin. She managed to back herself up against the hospital wall, curling in on herself, as she hoped that someone— _anyone!_ —would find the awful,  _awful_  Slytherin lurking so close to her. "H-how did you g-get in here?" Hermione whimpered. "Y-you s-shouldn't have been a-ab-le to come in h-here."

Sitting on the edge of the bed and holding her hands together, Kagome sighed. "They're talking about sending you away to St. Mungo's, did you know?"

"Just g-get out," Hermione cried.

"I overheard Professor Dumbledore speaking with Professor McGonagall about it, and I hate to think that you might be sent away for something that I unintentionally did." Kagome sighed again. "Midoriko was supposed to grant my wish, she wasn't supposed to hurt anyone."

Hermione briefly wondered who Midoriko was, but the pain in her head stopped the thought before it even had a chance to grow. " _Just g-ge-t out!_ " she snapped, feeling a new set of tears wash down over her cheeks. " _P-please, ju-st ge-get out!_ "

The Slytherin girl seemed to ignore her request, as she fingered the slightly colored jewel hanging from the chain around her neck. She did notice that Hermione flinched at the sight of it, though, and safely tucked it beneath her robes so the Gryffindor would not have to look at it. "I just wanted to live my life the way Midoriko said I would be able to: happy, in love, and without the worry that I would end up hurting someone again. It wasn't supposed to be like this, and I hope that you'll be able to forgive me for hurting you, Hermione."

Hermione only whimpered, curling deeper into herself.

"It'll be ok, though." The Slytherin smiled. "Midoriko will fix the rift that the Shikon no Tama created, and then you won't have to worry about being stuck in the middle. The pain will go away, and, well, I hope that I'll be able to make up for what I've done to you, Hermione. I  _really_  do."

Hermione shook her head. She could not comprehend most of what the other girl was talking about— _she_ had _done something, which meant she was_ right _!!_ —and she just wanted her to  _go away_. Her head hurt so much worse while she was around, while she thought about her, and she had every hope in the world that Higurashi Kagome would just  _disappear_!

"I  _will_  make it up to you," Kagome declared. "I  _will_."

" _Get out!_ " Hermione snarled, her eyes turning wild. " _Get out!_ "

Frowning, Kagome stood and allowed herself a moment to touch Hermione's arm. The Gryffindor girl flinched completely away from her, hissing oddly, but she did not allow the strange behavior to deter her. "Hermione, I  _promise_  you, you won't have to worry soon."

Watching the Slytherin turn quickly on her heel and flee the Infirmary, Hermione blinked at the ominous feeling her retreat left behind. Her final sentence drilled a hole in her mind, tormenting her, and while she sat against the wall, she wondered what the ominous feeling might mean.

 _B-bu-bump_.

Hermione almost choked, as she reached up to touch her chest.

 _B-b-bu-bump_.

W-what was happening to  _her_?!

 _B-bu-b-bu-bump_.

Hermione was not even given a chance to scream, as the world was ripped away from her and she passed out. A single tear slipped from beneath her eyelid, shimmering, before it seemed to disappear into nothingness.

* * *

"…mione,  _Hermione_!"

The Gryffindor girl stopped, blinking, as she rapidly became aware of her surroundings once more. "W-what?" she asked.

"Blimey, don't do that, Hermione!" Ron complained. "You almost gave me and Harry a heart attack."

"Now, Ronald—" Hermione found herself speaking on instinct, "—you're far too young to actually experience a heart attack. You're just overreacting like always."

"He does have a point, though, Hermione." Harry smiled a bit. "You did give us quite a scare for a moment there."

"Oh, Harry, I never expected  _you_ , of all people, to actually encourage his behavior!" Hermione huffed. What in the world could she have done that frightened them both so much? If she remembered correctly, they were walking to Care of Magical Creatures and it really was not all that odd for her to ignore their blubbering for a bit.

"Well, we weren't the ones that almost appeared dead to the world, 'Mione!" Ron snapped. "We didn't suddenly turn pale, get real quiet, and walk like some, I don't know, vampire that suddenly forgot there was anyone else about!"

"First off, Ron, vampires don't usually hunt in the daytime because the sun irritates them beyond belief, so there's no possible way I could resemble one, and—!" Hermione frowned. Now, really, she did not think it could have been  _that_  bad. "— _second off_ —!"

"You just scared us, is all," Harry said, stopping her. "But, you're fine now, so there's nothing to worry about. Right, Ron?"

Ron scrunched up his nose, clearly wanting to argue his point, but decided against it. " _Right_ ," he grumbled. "Besides, I can see Hagrid's hut, and there's  _no way_  I'm going to be late to Care of Magical Creatures. 'Member what Hagrid said, we're supposed to be studying unicorns today."

Harry smiled, saying, "And, no doubt, you don't want any Slytherin to look better than you."

"Bloody bunch of gits, the lot of them," Ron retorted immediately.

Hermione smiled automatically. Her body felt like it was on autopilot, though, because there was just something  _strange_  about the situation she had found herself in. There was some strange sense of déjà vu surrounding her, despite the fact she knew it was silly to believe she had ever been in the same spot before.

"—what about you, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"O-oh, what?" Hermione laughed. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Ron cast her an odd glance, frowning deeply. He clearly thought there was something wrong with her.

"I asked if you were looking forward to Hagrid's lesson," Harry explained.

"Oh, of course!" Hermione nodded. "Unicorns are  _very_  fascinating, you know. They're one of the few creatures in the world that can sense if someone is rotten on the inside—evil, if you want to say it that way—and because of that, they're very rare. The Forbidden Forest is one of the few places that they still roam through, since the magic surrounding Hogwarts protects them from nearly everything that might try to cause them harm."

"Thank you, Hermione," Ron rolled his eyes, "I'm very  _grateful_  for the lesson."

Stiffening, Hermione growled, " _Ronald Weasley_."

"Oh, look!" Ron almost shouted. "There's Hagrid now, Harry!"

"Ron!" Harry laughed, as Ron grabbed a hold of his sleeve and dragged him in the direction of the half-giant. There was no stopping the other boy, though, so he tried his best to keep up without tripping.

Her scowl twisted into a smile, as she watched Ron and Harry grow farther and farther away from her. Hermione realized that Ron was only trying to help her in his own,  _special_ , way, and she was not about to hold it against him. But—

Hermione glanced up, as the light sound of laughter distracted her from her thought.

"Eh?" Draco Malfoy, standing off to the side with his Slytherin group, frowned. "Why are you laughing, Kagome? I didn't think Blaise's comment was all that funny."

"Oh, it's not that—"

Hermione blinked. She recognized the small, black haired Slytherin immediately, but now that her attention was turned upon her, she, too, wondered what she found so hilarious. Was it  _her_ , Hermione, that she found funny? After all, she  _was_  a Slytherin and Hermione would not be surprised if—

"—I just find it a little funny that one little change could make such a difference," Kagome finished. She understood that Draco would not understand, even as she slipped her hand into his, and she was not discouraged by the odd stare he gave her.

"Sometimes, Kagome," Pansy sighed, "I think you say the oddest things."

"Would you like me otherwise?" Kagome laughed.

"Of course we would."

"Oh, Draco, that's so sweet."

"Bah." Pansy stuck out her tongue. "Let's not ruin the moment with your sudden need to snog in front of us."

"Pansy, we weren't—!" Kagome tried.

"Nuh uh, uh, uh." Pansy wagged her finger in front of the other Slytherin girl's face, saying, "We all know that that's exactly what you and Draco do when you sneak off in the common room. It's really no secret!"

Hermione shook her head, deciding that she did not need to hear anymore. Besides, from the way Ron was waving his arm in the air, he was no doubt shouting about what was taking her so long. She might as well  _indulge_  him a little.

As Draco's arm wrapped securely around her shoulder, and he leaned her into his side, Kagome cast a small glance in the retreating Gryffindor's direction. Smiling, though it was secretively meant for the Gryffindor in question, Kagome laughed at something Draco commented on and reached up to finger the Shikon no Tama hanging innocently around her neck.

It was transparent, the life within it gone, and for that, Kagome was happy.

**_Fin_ **


End file.
